Finding Solace

Chapter 6 - London Blues

I got into bed, surrounded by mosquito nets and smothered in insect repellent assuring that hopefully, I would have a pleasant sleep tonight. I brought my knees up to my chest, and rested my chin between them thinking about the day that had just passed by.

I spent it at the girls hostel down the road that was part of the orphanage. They were of all ages and each one had a diverse personality. They were so excited, each dragging me to see what they were doing, to talk to me in the little English that they knew. They smiled and laughed and had a sparkle in their eye every time they looked at me.

The memories, I made sure, were all captured on my new camera. It was a wedding gift from one of my school friends and it came in handy today. The girls marvelled at the camera and were eager to learn how to use it.

Patience was very handy with them.

Normally its a quality I lack, but today I didn't mind instructing them over and over again about the functions on the camera.

When the day started to slip by, and nightfall had come, the girls all began to get ready for bed. I dreaded the idea of sleeping in the guest house.

The lady in charge of the girls hostel, a slightly chubby lady named Aisha, noticed my discomfort at the idea of going back to the guest house.

'Aatee...'

From Attiya I had become Aatee to everyone at the orphanage.

'Yes?'

'One spare room here. You would like to stay? No go back?'

I smiled and nodded my head in agreement.

So that's how I ended up in this room, on this single bed with a hard mattress, that had mosquito nets draped around it. I wasn't complaining. In fact, I was admiring the simplicity of these people.

Could I live a simple life?

A life where bucket baths was considered a shower.

A life where a toilet was considered luxury!

The window was open just a little bit to allow cool air in and a sudden blow drifted into my room and hit my face. I closed my eyes and smiled, feeling content and probably feeling the happiest I felt in those past forty-eight hours.

My eyes snapped open when I heard a ringing sound. It sounded like, a phone?
It couldn't be my phone as that was charging in Aisha's room, the only room in the hostel with a plug point.

So what was ringing?

The noise was coming from the bag.

Fayaaz's bag.

I gulped. Before I left the hotel, I took all of Fayaaz's things and dumped it into a bag. Not because I wanted to hold on to his belongings, but because I intended to distribute it amongst the boys at the orphanage.

I couldn't recall shoving his phone in.

Then again I was crying while packing.

Jumping off the bed and scrambling out of the mosquito nets, I kneeled on the floor and began to rummage through the bag, trying to find the phone. Just as the dialler was about to give up, I answered not looking at the caller ID.

'Hello?'

No answer.

'Hello?'

I was going to hang up when suddenly a voice croaked on the other end.

'Attiya?'

It was her voice.

It was Daliyah's voice!